It was the day I was hired for my first real job. I was an hourly intern at a tech/research firm. My boss came into my office looking really grime. He handed me the letter saying I had been hired full time as a salaried employee and then said that the Challenger had exploded.

It was one of those weird days where things were both really good and really bad at once.

I remember the joke that followed.... " You can get 7up in a can "

I was homeschooling my two kids, and we were excitedly following the shuttle story about the civilian teacher going into space, watching the shuttle launch live.

One camera stayed on Christa McAuliffe's parents. Their faces continued beaming with pride even after the explosion because the launch announcer continued giving atmospheric readings, unaware of what had happened at first.
It was horrifying watching it dawn on Christa's parents that their daughter was gone.

I felt traumatized, but I wasn't the only one-a Sesame Street crew was filming the shuttle launch for the show and their reaction was even more horrified.

1st grade. They had brought a TV for us to watch. All three 1st grade classes filled our tiny classroom.
It was a shock to everyone. The teacher left the room. Seems she was gone quite awhile. It was apparent she was crying when she returned.

Yep. Had just gotten home from school. Watched it happen live on CNN, and went to call a friend. The phone rang, and he was calling me to asked if I had seen what had just happened. Stared at the tv for a few hours after that, probably in some form of shock